The present invention relates generally to storage racks and, in particular, to an indexing parts rack.
Storage racks having indexing properties are well known. Places such as commercial cleaners have cleaned items that hang from hooks attached to a chain where the chain indexes mechanically. Meat factories and trucks hang large slabs of meat from hooks attached to a frame. Other prior art racks exist that include a rack that indexes forward but includes electronic controls and a motor to advance the hanging parts, which makes the rack disadvantageously expensive and requires considerable maintenance.
It is also common to store large parts, such as modular automotive headliners, in a vertical orientation because higher part density can be achieved than in a horizontal orientation for the same size container. These parts must be shipped either separated from each other or with some type of physical protector between adjacent parts. The conventional prior art way to ship modular headliners vertically is in pouches that hang from the upper bars of a shipping rack. As the parts increase in weight and size, however, two people are required to remove the headliner from the pouch, which becomes an ergonomic issue for the operator and also requires a longer cycle time. There are alternative racks for horizontal shipping in which the parts rest in rolling tubes but they have lower part density for the same size rack and they are difficult to use with an assist tool, such as a forklift modified to lift headliners.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide an improved and cost-effective means for supporting a plurality of objects having indexing properties for moving the objects. It is desirable to provide a means for hanging objects that also provides frontal access to the hanging objects for easy removal with an assist tool. It is also desirable to provide a rack for hanging vehicle headliners and having frontal access to the hanging headliner for easy removal with or without an assist tool.
The present invention concerns an indexing parts rack for supporting a plurality of objects. The indexing parts rack includes an elongated track having a longitudinal axis and at least one hanger assembly mounted on the track. The hanger assembly is movable along the track in a direction of the longitudinal axis and is also rotatable about the longitudinal axis. The parts rack also includes a stop positioned adjacent the track whereby when no object is supported from the hanger assembly, the hanger assembly assumes a first radial position relative to the longitudinal axis to enable the hanger assembly to move along the track past the stop. When an object is supported from the hanger assembly, the hanger assembly rotates relative to the longitudinal axis to a second radial position to engage the stop and prevent the hanger assembly from moving past the stop along the track.
The indexing parts rack is preferably adapted to be attached to a frame disposed within a shipping container. The rack is designed to fit inside current production shipping containers.
The parts rack according to the present invention is preferably two rows of hooks (one row per side of a shipping container) from which the parts are hung. The weight of the part combined with the tension generated by the angle of the hooks holds the part in place when the part is attached. Each hook is attached to a separate hanger assembly. Each hanger assembly includes an upper roller and a lower roller with concave radiuses, which rollers are rotatably mounted to a housing and positioned on opposite sides of an elongated tube. The concave shape of the rollers conforms to an outer surface of the tube, permits movement along the tube and perpendicular swivel relative to a longitudinal axis of the tube. Alternatively, the outer surfaces of the rollers have a V-shaped groove that conforms to the outer surface of the tube, permits movement along the tube and perpendicular swivel relative to a longitudinal axis of the tube. The tubes from which the hooks hang are positioned parallel and spaced apart wider than the width of the parts. Thus, when the parts hang from one of the hooks on each of the tubes, the hooks and the hanger assemblies are rotated at an angle inclining towards the centerline of the container. The distance separating adjacent ones of the parts is dictated by the thickness of the housing which covers each hanger assembly. Each of the tubes forms a continuous track with a generally horizontal upper portion, a lower portion inclined downwardly from front to rear of the container, and a pair of curved portions connected to corresponding ends of the upper and lower portions.
In operation, at the point of part installation, the container is tipped forward a few degrees, which allows the hanger assemblies to move to the front under the influence of gravity to push the parts forward. When the hooks are at an angle, the housing of the first hanger assembly rests against the stop member in the front of the container, which stops further travel until the part is removed. When the first part is removed from the container by lifting it from the hooks, the weight of the hooks makes the hanger assemblies move to an almost vertical, unengaged position. In that position the housing no longer contacts the stop member and the hanger assemblies are free to roll forward and around the front curved portions of the tubes. The empty hanger assemblies advantageously collect in the lower portion of the tube for future reuse.
The parts are preferably loaded into the container through the rear and are removed from the front. Because the present invention allows direct frontal access to the part, an operator can easily remove the part by lifting it just enough to release the hooks (approximately one inch). If the part is too large or heavy for a single operator to manually remove, an assist tool especially designed for this type of rack can be used. In the case that some parts have a large width, a set of empty hooks can be placed in between the parts, which doubles the space between the large-width parts. The height of the tubes and the length of the hooks are adjustable. In this way, the parts rack can be easily and advantageously modified for numerous programs.
The present invention advantageously eliminates damage to the parts during shipping, and increases part density in the container compared to the prior art pouch or horizontal shipping racks. In the case of a headliner, it allows easier access for operators to manually remove the headliners with or without an assist tool, which causes a reduction in plant cycle time, reduces ergonomic stressors and, if combined with a load assist tool, can result in a labor savings as well.